The Volunteered
by Me
Summary: Can Jesse and Becky talk the parents of one of Michelle's friends out of divorcing? Short piece based on the book My Fourth Grade Mess.


A/N: In the book "My Fourth Grade Mess," Jeff cheats off Michelle, & his grades were getting worse, because of his parents considering a divorce. Did they? The book leaves it hanging, as the author probably felt it best to let the reader finish the story in a way he or she felt most comfortable with. No other book says they did, and this story is how things happen in the Chronology. It's just more appealing – they'd certainly at least get Jesse & Becky to try. And, it might take a bit longer in the TV Unvierse, but this probably happens there, too, because while Michelle is in a different class, there is more than one in each grade in several episodes, so Jeff would see her on the playground, and confide in Michelle about it.

The Volunteered

"Elvis bandages?!" Rebecca Donaldson-Katsopolis looked at her husband, Jesse Katsopolis, as if he'd grown two heads. "You want to put Elvis band-aids on our boys?"

"Yeah, you got a better idea?"

Becky nodded. "I sure do. What about Barney?" Jesse rolled his eyes. "Come on, Jess, they love Barney."

"No. Look, I will buy Snoopy, I'll buy that Tommy the Train guy…"

Becky put her hands on her hips. The way Jesse had said that made it sound like he had little idea what their four-year-old boys liked, though she knew he did; he just liked to hide it sometimes. "Thomas the Tank Engine."

"Yeah, him. Look, Beck, these other guys are cool, but no son of mine is wearing a band-aid with a purpose dinosaur who sings like Barney. Especially if it is Barney."

Two children were listening in on Jesse and Becky's frank and somewhat heated debate – but, it was not the four-year-old twins, Nicky and Alex Katsopolis. Rather, it was Jesse and Rebecca's niece, Michelle Tanner, and her friend Jeff Farrington. Both giggled as Jesse and Rebecca discussed their differences over what characters to have on any band-aids their boys might wear if they got hurt. They'd come in from the kitchen of the Tanner home a moment earlier, where Nicky had shown them the new band-aid he got on his scrape before running off to play.

"And, what about Elvis? You know, Elvis Presley is not exactly the image of a kind, sweet comforter to a small child."

"Sure he is. You could just put the words 'Love me tender' on them. Of course, first I have to find a distributor that sells Elvis band-aids," he said, picking up the phone.

Becky took it and put it down. "Jess, Nicky just skinned his elbow, and used up the last one. We don't have time for you to call around to every place in town, when they probably don't have any. And even if they did, why can't you just go down to the store and buy some regular Band-Aids?"

As the adults discussed the problem in the Tanner living room, Jeff muttered, "Here's where it would probably get real loud at my house."

"I know," Michelle said with compassion, putting a hand on his shoulder. "But, I'm sure my Uncle Jesse and Aunt Becky can help them stay together."

Joey Gladstone - the best friend of Michelle's dad, Danny Tanner – and Jesse had moved in to help raise Michelle and her older sisters, thirteen-year-old Stephanie and eighteen-year-old D.J., when Michelle was a baby, after the girls' mom died. He'd met Becky and married her a few years later, and while their arguments had been comical at times, they'd always managed to work things out; and since they were married, they hadn't had a really bad one. Not like Jeff's parents.

Jesse sighed and sat. Becky sat beside him. "You're right, Becky. I guess I should go and pick some up now; do we need anything else?"

She listed a few other things, and he wrote them down. "Jess, I know you want to get your boys interested in your passion for Elvis – it's perfectly normal for a man to want his children to love what he loves. But, they have their own choices to make, too. And, if they want Barney…" Jesse gave her a look. "Okay, let's compromise. Barry Manilow."

"Okay, but they better grow out of him by their teenage years," Jesse insisted before breathing heavily. "I know I get crazy about Elvis sometimes, but I just want them to be able to appreciate things with me, so when we hang out together they always think I'm cool, you know? I mean, no matter what we go through otherwise, it's just like dads and sons who like the same sports team; they always have that in common, you know?"

"Well, Jess, the best way to do that is to keep the lines of communication open with our children. It'll help to have a common love, but it might be something totally different. It could even be something they introduce you to."

Jeff felt like this was a good time to approach them. "You guys sure get along well."

Jesse thanked him, while Becky asked, "Is something the matter?"

"How can you tell?"

"Well, there's your tone of voice, but also, the fact you haven't told a joke in the last couple minutes," Becky said. She knew from Michelle's stories that Jeff was a grade A class clown, but also that he'd cheated off Michelle a few days ago.

"His parents are divorcing," Michelle explained for him.

"Oh, Jeff, I'm so sorry," Becky said.

Jesse put a hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, me too, kid. You know, my parents fight all the time, never anything physical but a lot of screaming and insults sometimes. They probably figure they're doing you a favor by breaking up, so you don't have to hear all that anymore, but they don't realize how much it hurts, I'm sure. And, I'm sure they both care deeply about you."

"Maybe if you talked to them, they wouldn't break up," Michelle remarked.

"That might be kind of hard. Dad already moved out," Jeff explained. "That's why I'm so busy with my younger brothers."

Becky could tell he was hiding something. "But, you'd like us to try, wouldn't you?"

"Aw, c'mon, Beck, I mean, what if it doesn't work out…?"

"But, it could. Jess, Michelle told me Jeff had never cheated before, and he actually blurted out at the beginning of the conference with their teacher that he'd done it. Before she questioned him or her. Now, that sounds like it was a cry for help."

Michelle scratched her head. "It was? I thought it was just because he's my friend."

"Well, that too. I mean, I sort of even…" Jeff blushed slightly. "Well, I mean…" Being a fourth grade boy, he didn't want to say he actually liked a girl.

"You like her, huh?" Jeff's cheeks turned beet red at Jesse's question.

"You can be a good friend, and still have made a cry for help," Becky pointed out. "Trust me, on our show we've had a number of people who specialize in dealing with children." Becky and Danny hosted a local morning show, "Wake Up, San Francisco." "You are her friend, and you would have confessed when the teacher asked anyway. Maybe you're such a close friend you'd even confess before the teacher asked, even if it wasn't a cry for help. But, I'm sure you'd take any help you could get." Jeff agreed.

"Look, all I'm saying is, let's not promise it'll happen for sure, okay?" Becky agreed. "Good. Now look, kids, if you want to try to get Jeff's parents to go out to dinner with us some night, that's fine. Maybe it'll work, and maybe it won't. But, I want you to always remember one thing." He spoke to Jeff with the experience of one who had been really wild and unruly in his youth, wanting the boy to stay out of trouble. "Even if this doesn't work out, you have friends who care about you very much, Jeff. And, you don't have to go cheating on anything to ask Michelle or us or anyone for help ever again? Got it?"

"Yes, Sir!" He thought for a second, and asked, "is your name Katsopolis because they invented ketchup where you're from?"

Everyone laughed as Becky said, "That sounds like the Jeff Michelle always talks about."

About a week later, Jesse was pouring over some notes he'd written. "Becky, look at this." She came over from where she'd been reading something in preparation for an upcoming interview on her show next week. "I've got all these pages of notes here on things I think would be good to say when we go out this evening. What do you think?"

"That you're the president's new speechwriter."

"Come on, Beck, have a look." She took one of the papers. "See, I've put down all sorts of things about relationships, all kinds of advice, and some of the things we've learned through the years."

Becky wasn't sure where to begin – she could tell this mood her husband was in, though. He would devote himself very heavily to anything he believed in – sometimes things were still all or nothing to him. But, she felt it was much more important to simply go with the flow with things, especially in a case like this. Jeff could only tell them things he'd seen and heard; they had no idea what the root of the Farringtons' problem was.

"Jess," she began, "remember when you got that loan to buy the 'Smash Club,' and you tried to memorize the code book? The woman at the bank said she just wanted to know your heart, not that you knew a bunch of facts."

"But, Becky, that was just about a business." He swiveled toward her, the passion obvious in his voice. "This is about peoples' lives. Becky, I want Jeff and his brothers to have a mom and dad who stay together, just like our boys do. And, if we're going to accomplish this, it takes a lot of preparation. That's what you do for your show."

She leaned forward, taking his hands in hers. "That's because I'm preparing an interview. And, even then I ad lib. Not as much as Danny does…"

"Nobody ad libs like him. He'd talk the whole time if he could."

"True. But, the point is, guests like us because we're personable. The professional part is in the preparation, but where you seem caring and interested in the person is when you don't just read from a list of questions, like Steph does when she interviews people for the school paper. That's fine in eighth grade, when you're learning about journalism. But, even she talks off the top of her head when she sees an interesting avenue to explore."

"Hey, I can ad lib, too. Listen to this." He read from one of the papers. "'Have you thought about what your children must feel like? Now, I took advantage of my parents' arguing all the time, but if they're not rebels like me, who knows. They might even be blaming themselves.'"

"Uh, Jess…I think they know it's rough on the kids. It would have been a lot harder to get them to meet us for dinner if they didn't."

Jesse threw a piece of paper in the air and said, "Fine, so what do we do, just ad lib all night?"

Becky shook her head. "Jesse, you're still in that all or nothing mode. Now, will you please stop and think a little bit? We can try to plan an outline of what could happen at various times, but…"

"Bye, Mommy, Bye, Daddy," Nicky and Alex said as they ran up to them in their attic apartment.

"You're going to have a great time with Joey and Michelle, huh?"

Nicky nodded. "They're taking us to a movie after supper."

"Yeah. We get to watch 101 Dalmatians," Alex said happily.

"It's at the classic movie theater."

"Wait a minute, Nicky; 101 Dalmatians is not a classic movie," Jesse corrected. "Now, Saturday Night Fever, that was a classic."

Nicky looked strangely at Alex. "They made a movie about a man with a fever?"

"Maybe they watched him lay in bed sick," the other four-year-old said with a shrug.

"Okay, look, see, it wasn't about a man with a fever…"

"Was it a woman?"

"No, look…it was called that because..." He could tell Becky was trying to stifle giggles at his attempt to explain a movie like that to the boys. "All right, look, just go have fun, we love you." They hugged and kissed their boys, who went downstairs. "Come on, Becky, 'Saturday Night fever' is a classic," he insisted, trying to hide his own mirth at seeing Becky laugh.

"You know, I almost wish we were staying home so I could watch you try futilely to explain to our boys why it's such a classic."

"Come on, Becky, that's…" Jesse looked at his watch. "Oh boy, we better get ready ourselves, huh?"

Becky agreed, and shook her head as Jesse put a suit on, and stuffed his papers in his breast pocket.

They'd made reservations for four at an elegant Italian restaurant where Jesse and Becky had come numerous times on dates, and even afterward when married. It was a great spot for couples.

Jesse glanced nervously at his watch several times. "Oh, man, when are they going to be here?"

"Don't worry, Jesse, I'm sure…"

Suddenly, Jeff's mom came through the door. "I appreciate your offer to pay for the meal, but if I know my husband, he's making so much money now he could throw a banquet here," she said abruptly.

"Nice to see you, too," Becky said at the awkward entrance. One of Jeff's brothers was around Nicky and Alex's age, so she'd had some contact with Mrs. Farrington in their mothers' group. However, they'd never met the father. "This is my husband, Jesse, you might remember him."

"Oh, yeah, Sally, isn't it?" Jesse said.

"Actually, it's Sarah," Sarah corrected them.

"Oh, well, same letter," Jesse said casually. Becky nudged him a little. "I mean, sorry. Anyway, what does your husband do for a living?"

Suddenly the husband entered, and introduced himself as Arthur. "You can call me Art, though. Sorry I'm late, business meeting went overtime."

"The story of our marriage," Sarah mumbled.

"Well, this should be fun," Becky said, trying in vain to lighten the mood as they announced themselves and were shown to the table.

After they sat, they began small talk over appetizers. Jesse finally asked, "So, did you ever come here on a date?"

"As a matter of fact, we did a couple times," Sarah remarked.

"See, I can ad lib." Jesse turned back to the Farringtons. "Becky thought I couldn't ad lib, just because I had ten pages of notes written on what I wanted to say."

"What my husband means, is that he spent a lot of time thinking about how he might approach things, but then he realized the importance of getting to know each other, right, Jess?" Becky interrupted, giving him a sideways look.

"Oh, yeah, yeah, sure. Actually, that was the first question I had."

Sarah couldn't help but chuckle. "You know, when Jeff told me that he and Michelle planned this, I thought to myself, 'This is just the kind of thing a child would pull.' Especially because he remembered us talking about this place a few times, so when you mentioned the restaurant, he was all excited."

Art concurred. "It does bring back some happy memories."

"Yeah, well why don't you think of the memories you should be creating for your kids instead of talking about divorcing?" Jesse exclaimed passionately.

"Jess, let's caucus for a second," Becky said, trying to flash an apologetic smile at the couple while pulling him aside, away from the table.

"Sure, as long as you tell me what caucusing is," he said while being pulled away.

"Jesse," Becky whispered, "we are here to help them learn to get along, not to criticize them."

"I am helping them get along; I'm telling them what a dumb idea it is to divorce."

"Look, I'm sure they know that. They're just scared that they're out of options. Now, listen, you and I always agreed, early in our relationship, that we'd talk things out, right?" He agreed. "Now, Art was late because of business, there's one possible avenue we can explore. How does he feel about it – what are their priorities? Maybe it frustrates him and he's never let on, we don't' know. We need to be helping them to work together, so they can solve their own problems. Just like if it was Nicky and Alex who were having a disagreement."

"I'm not gonna have to put anyone in timeout, am I? I hate that part."

"I know. And, you've done a good job of overcoming that anxiety; you haven't become your father at all. Now, come on, let's sit down."

"Sure." As they sat, he said, "Was that a caucus?"

"Yes, it was," Art said, trying to be tactful after Jesse's outburst. "A caucus is a small committee meeting."

"You can ask him anything about business, and he'll know it. But, about children," Sarah said snidely.

"Well, I happen to be very good at providing for my children," Art said defensively.

"Oh, so now they're your children."

Jesse held up his hands. "Whoa, wait a minute here. I'm startin' to pick up some vibes here. Now, when Becky teases me about my love of Elvis, I don't take offense. Well, okay, not much. But, I don't stay offended."

"I'm sure you can't possibly love Elvis as much as he loves business."

Becky smirked as she said, "Has he ever tried to get his company logo printed on Band-Aids for your boys?"

"No…"

Art laughed now. "You actually wanted Elvis Band-Aids?"

"Yeah, can you believe it? There's none to be found in this whole state. Not even in Graceland. I called there a couple times," Jesse said as the waiter brought their salads.

"How often have you talked about his business?" Becky wanted to know.

"That's all he ever talks about when he comes home. He doesn't even bother to ask how my day went." She looked harshly at him. "When our son cheated you didn't even find out for a week!"

"Hey, it convinced me that maybe I should come here, right?"

"Now, hold it you two, or someone's going to timeout." Jesse smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I guess Becky's right. I have gotten used to it."

Becky's face showed she was thankful for the break, but inside, she wondered if Jesse was really helping. She had been trying to get him to read and react, but so far, it was mostly just reacting that he was doing. Oh, well, she thought, as least they'll see how we get along even if we're not on the same page. "Sarah, what do you think? It sounds like in this instance, Art's right; he did agree to come. I think both of you have shown that you'd like to work it out, if you can. And, that's a good sign."

"Well, I guess." Becky indicated that Art should have that said to him. "I'm glad you were willing to come here tonight."

"There's probably a lot of things I haven't heard or said over the years, but I have to sacrifice if I'm going to support my family."

"You know what, what you said about a lot of stuff not being said, that's a great sign, too," Jesse spoke enthusiastically. He noticed Becky's very confused look. "Isn't it?"

"Well, I'm not sure what gave you that idea," Becky said, trying to hide their "agenda" of wanting the couple to communicate more.

"No, really, it is, Beck. See," Jesse said, turning back to the couple, "when my parents, especially my dad, would argue, they'd let things fester, and then they'd bring up a bunch of problems from the past. Little things they did or said six months ago that they never resolved. But you guys, your main problem is you haven't said anything. And, it's a lot easier to say things you should have said than unsay things you shouldn't have said."

Becky nodded. "It was a strange way to get to that point, but yes. The thing you need to do is talk about what you're doing, and let there be movement toward each other."

"You know, I can tell you two probably had some very interesting encounters in that area," Art admitted.

"If we could be like you," Sarah said, doubt still in her voice, "just that would be great."

"Yeah, we've had some problems. Take our first Christmas as a couple, we'd been to Nebraska for Thanksgiving, and I wanted us to go to Graceland, while she wanted to go back to Nebraska. We kept talking about it, and finally, we decided not to fight."

"What did you do?" Sarah asked.

"Played cards. He gave in rather than reveal his card, and we went to Nebraska." Becky laughed at the memory, and looked at Jesse. "And not once have you brought up the fact you only had a three, but you still would have beaten my two."

"Well, there's a good reason for that. I forgot about it." Becky playfully nudged him. "No, seriously. See, the thing is, we don't always get what we want. But, whether it's that, or Elvis bandages, or getting my kids to give up Barney and put Elvis songs on when they take their naps, or letting them grow their hair really, really long, or…" he paused in thought. "I don't get my way very much, do I, Becky?"

"No, not with those things. But, I didn't complain when you went sky diving the morning of our wedding. Well, okay, not very much."

The others couldn't believe that he'd sky-dived the day of his wedding. They were starting to recognize a few things they could do differently, at least.

"But, the important thing is, we love each other. And, all those little quirks are just things to laugh about with each other, instead of laughing at each other. I don't believe it; I sound like I'm talking to the boys again," Jesse remarked.

They spoke for several minutes as they began eating their main courses. "Look, this is all very interesting," Art said. "But, it's really hard for me to see giving up my new promotion. I mean, giving up being in a band and going on the road is one thing …"

"Well, Sarah's brought up a few things about raising the boys that you hadn't thought about, because she just presumed that you knew them, or would know them," Becky said. "Just like I would have ordinarily presumed that Jesse would know you don't let a six or seven-year-old girl watch the movie Wolfman. But, the key is, think about why you're sacrificing."

"I have to concede, Art, I never really thought about how busy you'd be when we met in college. I mean, I'm glad you're a vice president now, but…I just wanted something different. A husband who didn't travel so much, or anything."

Jesse took a bite. "Well, that's something you guys should have talked about before you got married. What were your goals, your dreams? But, you know, I had different goals when I met Becky; some even when I married her. And, I changed to make her happy."

"It sounds like the heavy sacrificing really started when your sister died," Art commented. Jesse had to agree. "I know it had to be tough. But, I guess I've never had to make that choice."

"Yeah, well…" Jesse put his knife and fork down, and spoke candidly, something that was very hard for him at times. "Look, I had the chance to leave, I really could have. But, there's something special about playing with your boys, and going to ball games, and all that fun stuff. It's stuff you don't get a chance to have again."

"Art probably never even knew about some of the pressures that would be on him in his business, if you met in college. Working in the media is a little easier, because the time demands are pretty obvious. Danny and Pam married young, but Pam knew what she was getting into, when she thought about it. And, by the time Danny got to be a certain age, he got a great position. But, he had to start at the bottom. And, the same is true with Jesse and I; he's worked a variety of jobs, but each of them, I knew what was involved, or I could find out pretty fast because he was already into it."

Sarah felt she had to concede the point. "You're right; I guess there were some things he couldn't have known." she sighed, and thought about asking Art, but the couple had been talking to Jesse and Becky all evening, and felt more comfortable this way, rather than talking to each other yet. "But, how does that change what's going on now?"

"Well…" Becky chided Jesse for his blank look. "Come on, don't you have some grand idea?"

"I thought that's what Michelle and Jeff had getting us here?"

Becky decided she had to say it. "I guess it's up to you. But, seriously, don't you think it's better to sacrifice for each other, and try to make it work?"

"Yeah, I mean, sure, it's gonna take more than opening up and talking about what you're going through. I mean, that's what we did tonight, with you talking about how hard it is to raise four boys and how alone you've felt, and with you actually explaining what kinds of things they require of you at work," Jesse said. "But, you've got a great start here."

"Will you at least promise you'll try marriage counseling first, and put your filings on hold?" Becky asked.

Sarah and Art looked at each other. "I guess we can do that," she said. "Who knows, tonight wasn't too bad."

Stephanie and her friends had been babysitting Jeff and his younger brothers. Jeff was extremely thankful for what Michelle and her family had done. They're the best people in the world, he said to himself.

He gave Jesse and Becky a big hug a few days later. "Michelle said she knew you could do it," Jeff said excitedly.

Jesse smiled modestly. "Well, now wait a minute, Jeff. Your dad moved back in, and they're in counseling right now. We still don't know for sure what's going to happen. But, yeah, I guess I can take a little credit."

"I wish I had an uncle like you. Of course, you've already got a clown like me, with Joey around."

Becky agreed that that was true. "I'm glad you appreciate it. We did what we could."

"Yeah, and who knows, maybe someday…" Jesse caught himself. "You're just not as crazy about girls as I was by your age, huh, Jeff?"

"Nobody's as wild about girls as you were, from what Michelle says."

"Well, maybe not." Jesse put his arm around Becky. "But, just remember, kid, all that's fun to joke about when you're young. But, when the right one comes along, you've got to do whatever you can to keep her, you can't be selfish. It's like we were tellin' your folks, that means giving up on some things you want. You can't always do everything you'd like to when you got a family." He looked lovingly into Becky's eyes, and they embraced. "But, it's more than worth it when you find that one special someone." They kissed, and after he said "have mercy," they kissed much more passionately.

Jeff left quickly. He may have thought Michelle was cool, but he wanted no part of looking at that mushy stuff.

---------------------------

Years later, Jeff walked up to Danny in the living room of the Tanner home. He couldn't believe how nervous he was as he was about to talk to him. Then again, it was hard for him to do anything really serious sometimes.

"Hey, Jeff."

"Hi, Mr. Tanner. Say, uh…you know, it's really great to know such a wonderful family like yours."

"Hey, no problem, Jeff. I mean, you've always seemed like family, the way you and Michelle are as friends. I know, we helped your parents get back together, and after a few months of counseling they were able to work things out, and your dad cut back on his work and became more dedicated to his family. But, you know…"

"Uh, Mr. Tanner, could you stop your run-on sentence there? Next semester will be here in a few weeks."

"Oh, right, college, of course. You know, I think that's a great career goal, being a sportscaster like I started out. Hey, who knows, you might be sitting in my seat someday. Although, hopefully not with me in it, because I could get kind of squished." Danny had a feeling he knew what Jeff wanted to ask him, and wondered how long he could delay it. Even though he knew Michelle's plans – and Jeff's included living in the house for at least a little while, even after it happened.

Jeff smiled at the rambling. "Well, Mr. Tanner, I'm really glad you feel like I'm part of the family. I do, too. And, well, I'd like your permission to make it official."

"You would." He exhaled deeply. "You're asking permission to marry Michelle. Hoo boy. Well, you know, Jeff, marriage is a wonderful thing. But, are you sure you know each other well enough? I mean, you could always wait till you're thirty, forty…"

"Mr. Tanner, we've known each other since Kindergarten. We know each other's ins and outs, ups and downs, lefts and rights, backs and forths…" They laughed together. "We've talked about all our hopes and dreams, all our ambitions, all those possibilities that you and Pam probably talked about. More than my parents did, I know."

"Well, they made it through. I guess you would, too. It's just so hard, Jeff. I mean, I've already lost D.J. to marriage, and Steph's boyfriend will probably be proposing pretty soon, too. The scary part is, this is one of those things that wouldn't have been any easier even with Pam here."

"Hey, I know. That's just how Michelle and I talk sometimes. The most important part is sharing how you feel about the other person. I know, I've spent a lot of time, even lately, trying to make her laugh. I didn't know it those first few years, but even back then, it was probably because I liked her."

"Becky and I could tell the cry for help when you admitted to cheating. But, I could tell you were a true friend when you spoke up right away at the conference with the teacher."

"You can be sure that's the only cheating I'll ever do, Mr. Tanner."

"I know."

Danny sighed. The hardest thing for him was letting go. But, Jeff was the kind of boy he knew would make Michelle very happy. He had the love and compassion he hoped Michelle would find, yet also the ability to talk things out before they got too rough. In a way, perhaps the situation with his parents, and watching them almost split up but get back together, had shown him just how fragile a relationship was. And, how important it was to keep it secure. And, that one could stay together despite any problems that came his way. He'd have been a great friend no matter what, but here, it had really helped.

"I guess I have to let go sometime, huh? You know, it's funny how hard the word 'son' is to say when you've only had girls."

"Well, if that's a problem, I'd rather you call me 'Jeff' than 'daughter,' Mr. Tanner," Jeff quipped.

"I suppose that would be a good idea. You know, that's strange, we call our sons 'son,' but never have I heard a father call his girl 'daughter.' I wonder why that is." He looked at Jeff. "I know, college is getting close again. Well…you have my blessing to ask her. Just make sure you marry after she graduates. There's no sense rushing like Pam and I did, back when we eloped."

"No problem, Pop."

"Come on, say that with a hug," Danny said as they embraced. "You always have hugged like a Tanner. I guess maybe it's fitting we were brought together like this."

"Well, Jesse says everything happens for a reason. I guess God's got something great in store for us, too."

Danny agreed. "The most important thing is, that you two are committed to loving each other forever, no matter what. And, as hard as it is to let go, at least I can tell myself I know you will be committed to that. You'll take good care of her"

"You bet, Dad," Jeff said, as he and Danny hugged again.


End file.
